Wireless message services (WMS) include short message service, enhanced message service, and multimedia message service. Short message service is a service provided by mobile telecommunications network providers that allows end users to send short text messages, referred to as “short messages” or “SMS messages,” to each other using their mobile handsets. The volume of SMS message traffic is expected to greatly increase due to an increase in the number of mobile subscribers and an increase in the number of existing mobile subscribers that use short message service. This increase in SMS message traffic can result in network congestion at the nodes responsible for delivering or routing this traffic. For example, in most mobile communications networks, the nodes responsible for delivering SMS messages are referred to as short message service centers or SMSCs. SMSCs store short messages until a mobile subscriber becomes available, upon which time they deliver the short messages to the mobile subscribers via the mobile switching center associated with the mobile subscriber. The links connected to SMSCs and/or the nodes themselves are expected to become increasingly congested as the volume of SMS message traffic increases.
Enhanced message service or EMS allows users to attach icons or personalized pictures, as well as dynamic ring tones to SMS text messages. Multimedia service or MMS messages will allow users to attach audio and video files to text messages. Like SMS, the volume of EMS and MMS message is also expected to increase, especially as the capabilities of mobile handsets and mobile communications networks continue to expand.
One problem associated with conventional mobile communications networks is that there is currently no efficient mechanism for guaranteeing a particular quality of service for WMS message delivery or for selecting among different qualities of service. For example, it may be desirable to deliver emergency SMS messages to a mobile subscriber or center with enhanced priority. However, the wireless message center and/or the links connected to the message center associated with delivering the SMS message to the subscriber may be congested. This will result in the SMS message being dropped or delayed. Another example in which it may be desirable to send wireless messages with enhanced quality of service is when a subscriber is willing to pay for enhanced delivery. However, current mobile communications networks offer only a single, non-guaranteed quality of service.
Accordingly, in light of these difficulties associated with conventional wireless message delivery mechanisms, there exists a need for improved methods and systems for delivering WMS messages with enhanced or differential quality of service.